Catherine Lu

1st Hour

ADI Lab Investigation: Glaciers

Section 1: Introduction and Guiding Question
Glaciers form when fallen snow compresses into large, thick masses of ice over a course
of many years. Cold temperatures keep fallen snow from completely melting, and every year
the snow accumulates into an area and creates a snowfield. Then, as the years pass, then the
thickness of the snow layer will increase. The collected snow develops into a glacier. The weight
of the top of the glacier pushes the snow below it and forces the snow to recrystallize into ice.
A glacier can form anywhere that provides the necessary conditions, such as cold temperatures
and high snowfall. Therefore, global warming makes fewer glaciers form. Global warming
makes hotter temperature, then resulting in low snowfall. In our experiments, the goal of the
investigation was to see how sea-level air temperature and average snowfall affected the size
(length and height) of the glacier. The guiding question was, How do climate conditions affect
the size of a glacier?
Section 2: Method
For our experiments, we used the computer simulation, Glaciers, which modeled the
behavior of a glacier under different environmental conditions over time. The program allowed
us to change the sea-level air temperature and average snowfall, and then we were able to let
the time run for a certain amount of years. The tremendous glacier changes can be measured
for height (with an ice thickness tool) and length (with the GPS). For the first experiment, my
group and I decided to change the air temperature and we set it at three different
temperatures (55.4F, 62F, and 68F). We kept snowfall at 3 ft and let the program run for 250
years. Our group conducted 3 trials for each temperature and calculated the averages for each
temperature. For our second experiment, we changed the average snowfall and tested three
different amounts (0, 2.5, and 4.9 ft). We kept temperature constant at 63F and also ran the
program until it reached 250 years. After finding the averages for snowfall, we organized all of
the data into two data tables. Then, we analyzed the data by putting the points in line graphs.

We noticed any trends or unusual points in the graph. Our group noticed that when we
increased temperature, the size of the glacier decreased. When snowfall increased, the size of
the glacier also increased.
Section 3: The Argument
For our experiments, my claim is if temperature decreases and snowfall increases, then
the size of a glacier increases. According to the data shown in the data table below, my claim
was proven correct. For Experiment 1, you can see that while the temperature is 68F (the
highest temperature we tested), then the length of the glacier is only 1,684 feet. When we
tested the experiment with a temperature of 55.4F (the lowest), the length of the glacier was
155,403 feet. These two data points alone showed a tremendous change. For Experiment 2,
with only 0 ft of snowfall, the size of the glacier was only 481 ft long, while with 4.9 ft of
snowfall, the glacier was 138,375 ft. According to the graph, the points show an inversely
proportional relationship with temperature and the size of the glacier, which means as snowfall
increases, the size of the glacier decreases. The relationship between the snowfall and size of
the glacier are directly proportional because as the snowfall increases, the size of the glacier
does also. Previously stated, glaciers form when fallen snow compresses into large, thick
masses of ice. They develop when snow remains in one location long enough to transform into
ice. There are certain conditions, such as cold temperatures and high snowfall, which a location
must have in order to form a glacier. Areas at extreme northern and southern latitude and
areas of high elevation have temperatures near 0C (32F) year-round. Therefore, with global
warming today, glaciers cannot form as well as they have previously. With global warming,
temperatures are rising and the increase in temperature will melt the snow before it has time
to transform into ice. Also, the temperature increase can result in a decrease in snowfall, which
is essential for a glacier to form. All of the evidence in the data table and graphs support my
evidence and justification.